It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of our dear loved one, Kylie Kypreos, who passed away unexpectedly on April 23, 2026. Kylie touched countless lives during her 51 years, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Born in Gold Bar, WA on April 11, 1975, Kylie graduated from Sultan High School, Class of 1993 and later earned her Bachelor’s Degree from SPU and a Master’s Degree from Seattle University. She called Seattle home for the past 33 years.
She leaves behind her loving husband, Brian Matthews, daughters Ayan Jama, Ephrata Siyum, Saron Siyum, and Selam Tekle, parents Bill and Linda Kypreos, siblings Seth and Kelsie Kypreos, and grandchildren Sumaya Haji, Mahir Haji, Mahraz Haji, twins Sana Sheikh and Sanaya Sheikh, Josiah Yergaw, Seliholm Yergaw, and Elroi Yergaw.
Kylie was the best of us, a true example of someone living as Jesus would have us live. Refugee mom to her four beautiful girls, middle school teacher at Catharine Blaine K-8, member and deacon at Bethany Presbyterian Church and regular presence at Monroe Covenant Church, wife, daughter, sister, mom, grandma, aunt, friend. She was smart, and feisty, and funny. More than anything she embodied God’s love in all of the facets and branches of her life, and there were many.
When Kylie felt a problem, her response was simple. She would just do something to address it. Simple, yet profound, because she consistently put in the real and taxing work of being the hands and feet and heart of God in the world. In 2010 Kylie welcomed her first unaccompanied refugee minor as a foster daughter, and once married she and Brian continued to grow their family into a joy-filled tumble of kids and grandkids, facing each challenge together with fortitude, love, and humor. Simple, yet profound.
Kylie was fiercely loyal and constant, while always stretching herself to learn and grow. At Blaine she taught middle school for 27 years, impacting generations of kids. Her students always knew what they would get when they walked into Ms K’s room. She was the safety so many of them needed, and the one who kept letting them try to do better. She was that teacher kids knew as “the only one who really got me”. Her passion was to give students the tools to learn and thrive far beyond her classroom. In hard moments, she’s that voice in their heads encouraging them, “OK, so you have this challenge, this limitation. How are you going to reach your goal? Yes, it’s hard, and you can do it.”
Somehow on top of all of this, she found time to create the most beautiful things. She quilted, gardened, baked, wrote, and dabbled in all sorts of crafts. She wrote notes to her students and sent postcards to friends and family from all over the world. She sewed first aid kits for kids heading off to college. She baked the very best Christmas cookies.
Kylie’s faith was deep and profoundly honest. She had the utmost integrity, holding herself to the highest standards and, often quietly, leading by example, tirelessly embodying and living out God’s love. She knew what faith was, not the absence of doubt, but the courage in hard moments to keep trusting in God’s plan, to keep enacting and embodying God’s love. Kylie loved being outside in God’s creation, hiking, camping, and traveling, especially when she could be out in the sunshine. She made every season brighter.
This is a dark moment for us, and we’re shocked and filled with grief. It is Kylie’s family’s profound hope her loss will inspire so many others to change. Simple, yet profound. To be more like her. To live more like she lived. To put in the work to make this world more like the Kingdom of God. Yes, it’s hard. And yes, you can do it.
Memorial donations in Kylie’s name may be made to World Relief.